SHANGHAI, 4th October, 2026 (WAM) -- Victory Team duo Alec Weckström and Shaun Torrente will start Monday’s main race of the Shanghai Grand Prix from the front row of the grid in the UIM F1H2O World Championship, after Finland’s Weckström claimed pole position in Sunday’s official qualifying session, with his American teammate Torrente finishing second. The pair also won the two Sprint races on a dominant day for the UAE team on the world stage.
In official qualifying, Weckström set the fastest time aboard Victory 3, clocking 43.986 seconds, with Torrente close behind in Victory 1 with a time of 44.193 seconds.
It marks the first pole position of Weckström’s career, putting him in a strong position to challenge for victory alongside teammate Torrente in the main race.
Elsewhere in the standings, Sharjah Team driver Stefan Arand finished third with a time of 44.321 seconds, followed by Sami Seliö of Italy’s Comparato Team in fourth in 44.470 seconds, while Sharjah Team’s Grant Trask took fifth place with a time of 44.886 seconds.
Victory Team’s success continued on Sunday as Weckström won the first Sprint race, collecting 10 points to take his season tally to 30 and move up to sixth place in the overall UIM F1H2O World Championship drivers’ standings. Weckström finished ahead of Grant Trask in second, with Sami Seliö taking third.
Torrente then won the second Sprint race to collect another 10 points and strengthen his lead at the top of the Drivers’ World Championship standings with a total of 50 points. Torrente finished ahead of Stefan Arand in second, while China Team’s Stefan Hagin took third place.
The results also moved Victory Team provisionally to the top of the Teams’ World Championship standings with 80 points, followed by Sharjah Team on 69 points and Team Abu Dhabi on 68.
Alec Weckström, driver of Victory 3, said: “It has been a fantastic day for me and for the team, and I’m extremely happy to have secured the first pole position of my career in the World Championship, especially after the strong performance we produced.
“We managed to find the right set-up for the boat, particularly following the training sessions we held in Dubai before travelling to Shanghai. We then managed to set an excellent time in qualifying and followed that up with victory in the Sprint races.
“I would like to thank everyone in the team for the tremendous work they have done. Our focus now is entirely on the main race, and our goal is to make the most of starting from pole position and challenge for the victory.”
Shaun Torrente, driver of Victory 1, was equally pleased with the team’s performance. He said: “It was an incredibly strong day for Victory Team, and we achieved results that reflect the huge amount of work being done by everyone in the team.
“Winning the Sprint race and adding more points to my tally is important in the battle for the World Championship, but even more important is that we will start tomorrow from first and second on the grid. That puts us in an excellent position for the main race.
“The most important work is still ahead of us, and we will look to produce a smart and strong race and achieve the best possible result for the team.”
Torrente added: “The championship still requires a great deal of focus, and every point matters. Our goal is to continue building on these results, maintain the lead in the Drivers’ Championship and, at the same time, fight strongly for the Teams’ Championship with Victory Team.”